paul253

It's not necessarily a rental. It's not like Texas isn't allowed to sign Greinke. If they feel like they can sign him they may want to get him early for help this year and then sign him to a long term deal after the season. I'm not sure that I'd want to deal with Texas. I'd be interested in Feliz as part of a deal, but I don't want guys from the low minors, middling pitching prospects or substandard MLBfodder like Derek Holland. I see no reason to help Texas out again like they did with the Carlos Lee trade I doubt they get Profar for Greinke, but Olt is a .300 hitter with 20 home runs in AA. And Perez is a top 30 prospect. Barrett Loux looks solid too. Same with Justin Grimm. All those guys are in AA, and I think Grimm just got promoted to Texas. Just because we can't get Profar doesn't mean we should give up on Texas. The problem with the Carlos Lee deal was Melvin's insistence on major league talent. What they got for Lee was a horrible return. If Melvin makes that kind of trade for Greinke he should be fired.

How does Texas' bullpen look? If we can get them KRod and Greinke. For 2 of Olt/Perez/Profar and gladly give up Greinke and KRod.

I'd rather take Profar. I don't think you can pass up on the opportunity to get a high ceiling shortstop who is so close to the majors. I wouldn't be disappointed with Olt/Perez but Perez's numbers leave a lot to be desired. I think Profar is more of a sure thing than either of the other two. Profar and Gennett and SS and 2nd would look very nice in 2014. I think the Yankees might come calling but I'm not sure they have what it takes to pry Greinke from me. Bentances and Banuelos are their top two pitching prospects but neither of them are having a good season. Settling for other prospects would be, in my opinion, settling over quantity over quality which is exactly what Melvin needs to avoid. I am really hoping this comes down to Texas or Detroit. Both have a few prospects I really want and I think the Brewers come away winners in either situation. Profar. Olt. Perez. Castellanos. Turner. I'd be excited with any one of those guys in Milwaukee's system.

As exciting as it would be to get a top prospect or two for Greinke, if they aren't potential ace pitching prospects I don't see how that helps the Brewers much in the future. If the Brewers had an Mike Olt or a Nick Castellanos there'd have been no need to throw $30 million and three years at an aging Aramis Ramirez. If the Brewers had a power hitting outfield or first base prospect there'd be no need to extend Corey Hart and throw $40-$50 million at him when his contract is up. All of that money could go towards pitching. Even if you pay relievers, it definitely helps. If you shoot for a potential ace only for Greinke you are probably going to be disappointed. Then you end up keeping him and settling for draft picks. I'd rather take my chances with a Barrett Loux and Justin Grimm then with a draft pick someone in the 20s an another after the first round. At the end of the day you take the best players you can get. Short of maybe second base, the Brewers don't have enough depth at any position in the minors leagues to turn down a top talent.

Fiers is the obvious replacement is Greinke goes. Thornburg would be after that. I don't think we need to worry about seeing Seth McClung in the rotation anytime soon. I am glad Texas is showing interest though. They have 4 prospects I like. If we can somehow swing two of them it would be an amazing haul. Two of Olt/Perez/Loux would be great. Justin Grimm would be another name to consider.

Melvin is not a clown how fast people forget their playoff apperances under his reign Yeah but with the offensive pieces he's had under his watch (Weeks, Hart, Braun, Fielder all in their primes) it seems like it easily could have been more than 2 playoff appearances. The 2011 team could have been repeated year in and year out if he had found a way to get some decent pitching for more than half a year. This year's team probably should be better but the injuries and poor production from key players (namely Weeks) is just killing us. For as good as Melvin has been he still has a terrible track record of developing pitching. And then when he does finally get good major league appearances from homegrown guys (Fiers) he sends them down to the minors so players like Marco Estrada can get more starts. He just doesn't seem to have a good handle on pitching. Any ole GM can trade their top prospects for expensive, established aces with 2 years left on a contract. It takes good scouting and wise decision making to develop your own guys and then play them when they are ready. Even with the playoff appearance and recent upgrade of pitching prospects, my confidence level in Melvin being able to develop pitching is hovering somewhere in the little to very little range.

I think Scooter has the chance to be a fan favorite in Milwaukee for a long time. Unfortunately that Weeks contract is standing in the way. Hopefully we can find a way to move Weeks in a year or two when Scooter is ready.

I'm really, really hoping the Greinke is traded by the all-star break. My ideal scenario would be to extend him but at this point that doesn't seem like a realistic option. The Brewers should be able to get at least one high ceiling prospect and one mid ceiling prospect for him should they trade him at the break. Each start he makes in Milwaukee lowers his trade value. And god forbid he gets hurt. Detroit is only two games out and could use a pitcher. I'd love to get Turner or Castellanos back. Texas is 4.5 games up on Anaheim. Mike Olt and/or Martin Perez would look nice. Anaheim could use a pitcher. How about Jean Segura and a pitcher?

I like the fact that multiple teams are calling about multiple players. I hope Marcum can come back quickly and pitch effectively and maybe draw some interest.

Green has done nothing to show he is better than Ishikawa so I don't get the constant complaints or calling RR an idiot for this situation Ishikawa has been given an extended look in the major leagues and failed. Green hasn't. Green probably never had a shot at an extended look once Ramirez was signed, but having him sit on the bench while Travis Ishikawa gets at bats is frustrating to me. Just like I was frustrated watching Gamel rot in the minors the past few years. Just like I'll be frustrated when Fiers and his 2.70 ERA are going to be replaced by Estrada in the rotation and just like I'll be frustrated when Logan Schafer sits on the bench next season so Nyger Morgan or Carlos Gomez can play.

If the Brewers move Fiers to the bullpen so Marco Estrada can keep starting.......I don't know how to finish that sentence but I'll be pretty upset.

Well if Greinke is looking for Cain money there you go. The Brewers might need to add an option year or vesting option to get it done but if true it is a very competitive offer.

The Brewers have twice as many teams in ahead of them (8) as they do behind them (4) in the wild card standings. They have 3 teams in front of them in the division. If the Brewers don't win at least 2 of 3 vs Cincinnati they should take calls for everyone on their roster except Braun and Lucroy (I'd include Gallardo but I'd even trade him if the price was right, it'd just have to be a really high price).

Anyone who considers Greinke a "middle of the rotation" starter is saying so either for leverage or because they don't know anything about baseball. At worst he's a #2.

At this point I would see if we can extend Hart another couple years. I just don't understand this thinking. He'll be 31 when his contract runs out and looking for one last big contract. Why throw 3 years and $40 million at a guy who is on the downside of his career when you have a perfectly good replacement (and by 2014 you might have more than one option) for him? He is barely getting on base at a .300 clip this year and is striking out about once every three at bats. As I've said before, Corey Hart is exactly the kind of player Milwaukee needs to get away from. His production is just not worth the cost, especially when we have in house replacements. As for Mat Gamel. His injury could not have come at a worse time. He was FINALLY given a chance to play every day and he gets hurt hustling to try to catch a foul ball. Now his chance is likely gone. Let's face it, we can call for Hart back to right or Hart being traded but we all Melvin isn't going to trade Hart. First base is Corey Hart's next season. Gamel is going to have to fight with Aoki for playing time in right field at best and at worst he's going to be a utility guy who plays 1st, 3rd, and RF. Mat Gamel no longer has a future as an every day player in Milwaukee.

Put Gamel in RF full time. He has a strong arm and seems pretty athletic. Put Aoki and Gomez in CF, trade Morgan. What about Logan Schafer? He's back up over .300 again. He needs to play next season. I think for the time being Mat Gamel is going to have to settle for a bench role. Same with Taylor Green. Milwaukee just never had any interest in making room for either of them so it is what it is. Green and Gamel on the bench actually wouldn't be the end of the world. I'd rather have those two as pinch hitting/injury fill-ins than Brooks Conrad and Travis Ishikawa. That being said, I'd still like to see Corey Hart traded if you can get a decent return for him. Like I've said before, I like what he's done for us but he is the kind of player Milwaukee needs to get away from. His age and his cost really hurt his value for a small market team. This of course would leave first base for Mat Gamel.

How much return have the Mets gotten from Santana for $137 million? How much return have the Yankees gotten from Sabathia? Or the Tiger with Verlander? Or the Phillies with Halladay? Or the Mariners with Feliz Hernandez? You can't look at past contracts to different players to determine whether or not you offer a long term deal to someone. You look at the player, his talent level, his injury history, and so on and you make an educated guess as to whether or not you think he'll be worth it. Some teams have gotten burned, others haven't. The one thing we do know though, is that even with one of the best offenses in the league, the Brewers were basically a .500 team without decent pitching. So unless you are willing to wait until Thornburg, Peralta, Jungmann, Bradley, etc establish themselves as everyday starters, which may or may not ever happen, you are going to need to take a risk on a pitcher. They seem willing to throw $10 million at average pitchers like Suppan and Wolf. Why not throw $20 million at good to great pitchers like Greinke? He may give up a hit an inning but he doesn't walk a lot of guys so his WHIP is still relatively low. If we do not "sell," and we extend Greinke, then we will essentially have this year's team minus Marcum, Wolf, Loe, Veras, K-Rod and maybe Morgan & Gomez. All those positions would have to be filled from within the organization in order to pay Greinke, and we don't have much pre-arby talent to fill these roles. In other words, we would probably be pretty bad. I think you are exaggerating. First off, I'd be willing to guess Gomez will be back. And Schafer can easily replace Morgan. Wolf and Marcum can probably be replaced by Fiers and Thornburg. Peralta is another option if he can get his act together. Plus we'll still have Estrada and Narveson will be back at some point. That's 5 options for 3 spots. Second, even with a new Greinke contract, look at it this way. He's already making $13.5 million this season. So even if you pay him $23 million a year that's only an addition of $10 million to the payroll. Marcum, Wolf, and Greinke are making $30.7 million combined this season. A new contract to Greinke plus Thornburg/Peralta/Fiers would be less next season than Greinke, Wolf, and Marcum make this season. As far as the bullpen goes, you can always trade some guys. Kottaras would be a good option with both Lucroy and Maldonado in the fold. And you can probably get a decent bullpen arm for a few million bucks. But by replacing Marcum, Wolf, KRod, and Morgan with Thornburg, Fiers, Schafer and FA/Trade you'd be saving a ton of money. Whether or not the team is any better would depend a lot on how Thornburg/Fiers/Peralta/Estrada/Narveson do. The bullpen obviously has to do better. And hopefully the injury situation is better. But the future would certainly look brighter in my opinion because you have a solid 1-2 with several mid to high ceiling prospects coming up. If you're sure you can't extend him, getting the equivalent of Coulter and Haniger would be a great trade. You'd basically get the same talent you could draft, but save $2.85MM in signing bonuses. If you can get that it'd be ok but I'd rather shoot for a Jacob Turner/Mike Olt/Nick Castellanos type prospects then take my chances with two draft picks. Letting Greinke walk for draft picks ranks much lower to me than extending or trading him.

The White Sox are only a game and a half behind Cleveland for first place. If they are still close I don't see why they'd trade Peavy and Floyd.

here's hoping the other cities get behind their ballparks so that the eventual champion is, shall we say, a little more reflective of the national view. What a arrogant little prick. Apparently he thinks the national view is the same as his view. I've only been to a few stadiums. Wrigley Field is an absolute dump. And it's been awhile since I've been there but I don't recall Great American Ballpark being anything special. Miller Park seems to add new features and attractions each year. I'm sorry the Miller Light and MGD isn't as popular as Bud but I much prefer Miller Products as do I'm sure most Wisconsinites. There are all sorts of food options and entertainment as well. And two of the most underrated features: Parking and the roof. You will never have to worry about leaving early to find parking or wonder if the game you are thinking about going to will be rained out. Is it the best park in all of baseball? I have no idea. But it's not nearly as bad as this makes it seem.

Is he a center fielder? He was playing RF in BC but I'm not sure if that was his natural position or if he was playing there because center field was already spoken for.

There is no reason Nyger Morgan should be on this team next season. To me, the only question is this: Will you get more for him at the trade deadline or in the off-season? The center field competition next season should be between Gomez and Schafer and I'd be fine with a platoon. Aoki in right, Braun if left. For the 5th outfielder I'd prefer someone with some power. Nyger Morgan has served his purpose since he's been here but in 2013 he is not needed.

There were rumors about the Braves wanting Hart but they were not going to be giving up Beachy for him. I believe it was someone of lesser value than Beachy that was being talked about. I know a lot of people here wanted Beachy or Delgado for Hart but I don't believe there was ever any solid rumor about Hart for Beachy. If what I remember is correct, the Braves offered Beachy but we insisted on Mike Minor, who at the time was more highly regarded. As far as extending Hart, I just can't see why we'd do it. He's the type of guy we need to get away from. When Corey Hart was coming up, he was far and away my favorite prospect. Liked him more than Hardy, Fielder, Weeks, etc. But looking at him now I see him as a one dimensional offensive player. It seems like his only asset now is power. His OBP is .312. That's horrible. For comparison sake, Carlos Gomez, Alex Gonzalez, George Kottaras and Travis Ishikawa all have higher OBPs than him this year. He strikes out about once every three at bats and rarely draws a walk. If you put him back in the outfield you can see he has clearly lost a step. If you keep him at first you are getting an average first basemen. That said, if you want to resign him it'll probably cost you at least $10 million a year, and likely more. He'll be what, 31, when he hits free agency? The Brewers need to quit investing so much money in guys in the tail end of their careers (the Suppans, the Wolfs, the Ramirezs, the Eric Gagnes, the Corey Harts) so that maybe could afford to make a better run at the guys at the height of their careers (Sabathia, Fielder, Greinke, etc). Outfield is our strongest position in terms of having prospects who are ready to replace him, and first base is probably the easiest position to move someone to. We have Morris. We have Roache. Hell Khris Davis could play first if he ever gets healthy. Lucroy could eventually move there. Ramirez could play first next season. Corey Hart has done a lot for Milwaukee and is a pretty decent player. But in my opinion it's time to move on. If we don't trade him this off-season, we certainly shouldn't give him a multiyear contract after 2013.

Hopefully it's a short stay. The last thing I want to see is Michael Reed splitting time with someone in Helena.

Reading this makes me wish I could get DirecTV. Maybe this will help. I am not satisfied with the signal in the least bit. While it doesn't go out every time it rains, it takes much less than a "big storm" to knock my signal out. It irritates me because I asked specifically about this before I signed the 2 year contract and I was told it was no longer an issue. So far the amount of money I save a month makes it worth it, but the savings only go for one year of the two year contract and then the price is basically a wash. Overall I am happy because it seems like I get a lot more channels then when I had ATT Uverse (NHL/MLB networks, CBS sports, NBC sports, etc) and I am saving like $30 a month for a year. But the one thing I can't stand about DirectTV is the loss of signal seemingly every time there is a moderate amount of rain.

At some point we're going to have to be patient with our prospects and allow them to produce for cheap on our team instead of some other team. I think we should do both. Sign Greinke, let Wolf and Marcum go, and replace them with Thornburg and Fiers. Buy some time for guys like Jungmann, Bradley, Peralta and others to develop and go from there. Greinke more so than Sabathia and Fielder is a necessary sign in my opinion. Even with Fielder it was clear that the Brewers were going nowhere without pitching. So re-sign Greinke, even if it costs $20 million a year for 6 years and you'll have an amazing 1-2 combo. Then, with a strengthened 3-5 of pitchers like Peralta, Thornburg, Narveson, and/or Fiers, and eventually Jungmann and Bradley, we could really have something. Could you imagine in 3 years a rotation of Greinke, Gallardo, Thornburg, Peralta, and Bradley/Jungmann? Hopefully the hitters continue to progress and the drafts continue to be strong. If ever the Brewers were going to take a chance on an expensive, long term sign, I think Greinke should be the guy.